Tidal waves wreck Anlo Village in Shama

Danger looms at Anlo village in the Shama District in the Western Region as the fishing community is almost consumed by the ravaging sea.

A visit to the scene by the Daily Graphic revealed that in the past five months, the ravaging sea had claimed two lives and destroyed more than 200 residential and commercial property.

Hundreds of people have also been displaced as the sea unleashes its devastating force on the village, which is precariously caught between high tides, a swelling lagoon and the Pra River estuary.

It is not uncommon to see buildings covered in water, bedrooms filled with sand and roofs ripped off as a result of the tidal devastation.

That has reduced the habitable land space in the village to less than 150 meters from the sea and the lagoon.

A resident, Ms Dogbeda Borlu, who conducted the Daily Graphic team through the town, pointed to the middle of the shallow waters that used to be the location of their house which had been swallowed by the sea.

More suffering

The devastation has also left many inhabitants in the village without potable water and electricity.

The sea has virtually swallowed almost all the wells in the village and uprooted several electricity poles, cutting electricity supply in the process.

The economic livelihoods of the people are also under threat as many fishing boats have been washed away by the sea, with many farmlands also being destroyed.

Resettlement

In an interview, the Chief of the village, Togbi Tekpele Gaakor I, advocated the relocation of the entire village to a higher ground.

“In less than five months, we have lost many land space and property running into thousands of Ghana cedis. Unfortunately, we are in for more trouble, as the weather is expected to get worse before the year ends,’’ he lamented.

The Regional Director of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), Mr Abdule Ganiyu Mohammed, described the situation as a “looming disaster’’.

He, however, said NADMO and the Shama District Assembly would send a team to the village to discuss solutions.

“We need to find a solution on how best to resettle the inhabitants as soon as possible. We will not wait to see the danger explode. We will proactively engage the assembly, the community and the stakeholders to avert any disaster,’’ Mr Mohammed said.